‘Complex and engrossing; fans of George R.R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie should particularly take note’ (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY)

‘It will entrap you and hold you captive, you will look up from its pages to discover you have lost hours’ (APN NETWORK)

‘The sheer scope and genius of this series dazzles… stylistically brilliant’ (SPECULATING ON SPECFIC)

‘Excellent writing, amazing characters, intricate woven plotlines, and lots and lots of blood, most of that unfortunately spurting from the wrong people. No elves or dragons, but some of the most in-depth world-building I’ve ever read, and the heroes (and anti-heroes) could shake themselves off the page. This book drew me in with the opening sentence and held me until the end . . . I remain breathless from the read’ (LIBRARY THING)

‘Fans of George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan and other such writers of epic fantasy will find much to like here . . . a compelling read’ (READING LARK)

‘Miller’s numerous fans will definitely stay for the long haul’ (Sunday Canberra Times)

Tomorrow is the Reddit AMA which I’m doing in conjunction with the Orbit fantasy writing workshop. If you’re as unfamiliar with Reddit as I was before now, you can relax. It’s actually pretty easy.

If you’re already a Reddit member, sign in to the Fantasy bulletin board – the BB. If you’re not, you can sign up with a new membership first then go to the Fantasy BB. On the right hand side of the Fantasy BB is a list of upcoming AMAs. Click on my name, and you’ll get into my AMA where you can post a question for me to answer, or just read what other people have to say.

Here is the schedule:

9pm Sydney time (12midday London time/7am New York time/4am California time) – I log on and begin answering questions until midnight Sydney time (3pm London time/10am New York Time/7am California time.)

I sleep until 30th July 7am Sydney time (9pm London time/4pm New York Time/1pm California time) and then to log in to finish answering questions.

David B. Coe is another fantasy author whom I met through the work before meeting him in person. I have the clearest memory of reading and recommending David’s books when I had my bookshop. Imagine my joy (and relief!) when I discovered he is a truly lovely guy as well as an entertaining writer. I have read Spell Blind, the first book in his new urban fantasy series, and it’s a great addition to the genre, highly recommended. It now gives me great pleasure to share this Q&A David and I did recently, to celebrate the upcoming release of his two new books: His Father’s Eyes (August 4) and Dead Man’s Reach (out now) …

Tell us about your love affair with speculative fiction: when it started, how it’s progressed over the years, which books, authors and experiences have influenced you throughout your career. I was eleven years old and attending a sleepaway summer camp. My parents thought I would enjoy doing theater and so I tried out for a play with a weird name and got the lead part playing a character who had an even weirder name. The play was a dramatization of The Hobbit, and I, of course, played Bilbo Baggins. I loved the role and the story, and upon returning home started reading the book. By the time I’d finished, I was hooked. I read Lord of the Rings, next and knew then that I wanted to read as much fantasy as possible. A few years later, I read Stephen R. Donaldson’s first Thomas Covenant trilogy, and realized that I wanted to spend my life writing fantasy. The books were so strange and dark; the lead character both repelled and intrigued me. I was fascinated by the possibilities. If Donaldson could do this with his series, what might I do with books of my own? I’ve since fallen in love with the books of Guy Gavriel Kay. I think he is the author who has most influenced my work stylistically. I could go on. I have so many friends who write professionally, and I’ve read so much terrific speculative fiction over the years. But really those are the three who shaped my professional development the most: Tolkien, Donaldson, and Kay. You started out writing otherworldly/epic fantasy. What was the attraction there? In what ways did those stories scratch your storytelling itch? I think in large part it was the influence of those three authors I just mentioned. The works that informed my creative ambitions were also epic, alternate world fantasies, and so that was what I wanted to write. Early on, I never even considered writing anything else. My heroes wrote epic, so I would, too. It helped that before embarking on my writing career, I had earned a doctorate in history. I understood how history worked, how economies, cultures, and societies developed. My degree was in environmental history, and so I even had a sense of how the physical terrain and climate of a nation might shape the human institutions that grew up in that setting. I felt comfortable creating worlds for my stories, and I was eager to see what I might come up with as I blended my historical background with my passion for magic and fantasy. Tell us about the series you’re writing under your pen name D. B. Jackson. How did the spark of that series ignite, what enchants you about it, why do you think readers will enjoy it, and what can we look forward to in the latest installment?As D.B. Jackson, I write the Thieftaker Chronicles, a historical urban fantasy set in Boston during the 1760s and 1770s, on the eve of the American Revolution. Ethan Kaille, my lead character, is a conjurer and a thieftaker, the 18th century equivalent of a private detective. Each book is a stand-alone mystery blended with some key historical event, with a little bit of magic thrown in — so again, I get to blend my love of history and my love of fantasy. This newest installment, Dead Man’s Reach, coincides with the Boston Massacre in March 1770. The books are tremendous fun to write, in part because of the challenge each represents. My goal is to blend my fictional elements — my characters and magic system, the murder mysteries and narratives — with actual historical happenings, in a way that seems completely natural and seamless. I don’t want my readers to know where the history ends and the fiction begins. The inspiration for the series actually came to me years ago, as my wife and I were preparing to live in Australia for a year. I read Robert Hughes’ fine history of Australia, The Fatal Shore, which traced Australia’s origins as a penal colony. In the early chapters, while discussing the British law enforcement system of the 18th century, he went on at some length about thieftakers and some of the colorful and corrupt personalities who roamed the streets of London “solving” crimes. I knew then that I wanted to write books about thieftakers. It took a few years — I had another series to write — but eventually I came back to that inspiration and wrote Thieftaker, the first book in the series. The rest, as they say, is history. You’ve also got a new series started in your David Coe persona: this time urban fantasy. What prompted the shift to this subgenre? Tell us about the different demands of writing urban fantasy, compared with epic fantasy and alternate history fantasy. What delights you about this series?Yes, under my own name I am writing a contemporary urban fantasy series called The Case Files of Justis Fearsson. Again, I get to mix magic and mystery in a series of stand-alones, which I really enjoy. The magic system in this one is different from anything I’ve done before. My lead character, Justis Fearsson, is a weremyste. Every month on the full moon, and the nights just before and after, he loses control of his mind and his magic. And slowly, these moon phasings, as they’re called, are driving him permanently insane, just as they did his father, who is also a character in the series. These books are the first novel length works I’ve written in first person, and I just love the voice of the series. Part of that is the fact that they’re set in our world and in our time. For once, I get to write books about people driving cars, using modern technology, speaking in a modern, natural lexicon. It was very freeing, which was the whole point. I started writing these because I wanted to change things up a bit, to try something new. I like jumping around among different subgenres. I think it keeps my writing fresh. It certainly keeps me from ever feeling bored with my work. I’ll go back and write more epic and more historical, but these books have been tremendous fun. The newest volume, His Father’s Eyes, which comes out on August 4, includes a chapter from the perspective of Jay’s delusional father that may well be the best piece of writing I’ve ever done. ***** David B. Coe/D.B. Jackson is the award-winning author of eighteen fantasy novels. Under the name D.B. Jackson, he writes the Thieftaker Chronicles, a historical urban fantasy from Tor Books that includes Thieftaker, Thieves’ Quarry, A Plunder of Souls, and, the newest volume, Dead Man’s Reach, was released on July 21. Under his own name, he writes The Case Files of Justis Fearsson, a contemporary urban fantasy from Baen Books. The first volume, Spell Blind, debuted in January 2015. The newest book in the series, His Father’s Eyes, comes out on August 4. He lives on the Cumberland Plateau with his wife and two daughters. They’re all smarter and prettier than he is, but they keep him around because he makes a mean vegetarian fajita. When he’s not writing he likes to hike, play guitar, and stalk the perfect image with his camera.http://www.DavidBCoe.comhttp://www.davidbcoe.com/blog/http://www.dbjackson-author.comhttp://www.facebook.com/david.b.coehttp://twitter.com/DavidBCoe

So, the last two weekends of June were swallowed alive by the amazing Supanova Expos in Sydney and then Perth. I had the most fabulous time, meeting and chatting with extraordinary people. We all worked pretty hard (though the actors sweated the most!) and I thought I was doing pretty well keeping the winter lurgies at bay. I flew home from Perth on the Sunday night, the red eye, and immediately had a sleep. I hadn’t slept on the plane.

And then I woke up.

It’s now been a week of fighting a seriously crappy attack of bronchitis. I’ve had to upscale the antibiotics from normal to double-dose supercharged and even then I’m not entirely sure it’s working. I’m a bit better but I’m not great. Of course, I could be expecting too much too soon. I can’t tell you how sick I am of being unwell. I’ll reconsider my position towards the end of the week. Hopefully I’ll be functional enough tomorrow to get back to some work. Up until today it’s been a case of coughing myself dizzy and sleeping in between bouts.

There’s a lot I do want to say about the experience, particularly some of the guest authors who were amazing – as were many of the guest actors.

Cross your fingers for me that the super drugs do a super job so I can crack on with the work. I have an exciting announcement to make in the next day or so, once the final organisational Is are dotted and Ts crossed.

This past weekend I was privileged to attend the Sydney Supanova Pop Culture Expo as one of the author guests. It was my first Supanova, and even if I weren’t also appearing in Perth this upcoming weekend, it wouldn’t be my last. What a hoot! What an experience!

Boiled down to basics, there are two kinds of research a writer does before and even during a novel. The first is getting the world building right. Even a contemporary thriller requires some research. The late great Dick Francis meticulously researched for his novels, because even though he’d lived all the horse racing stuff his books were set in disparate and fascinating worlds: merchant banking, luxury rail travel, the wine-selling business, the stock market. Writers of private eye or police procedural novels need to know the ins and outs of the law and criminal investigations. And of course those of us who revel in speculative fiction, be it space travel or how to mount a siege on a walled town, spend months up to our eyeballs in history books and documentaries.

So, I’m appearing as one of the guests at the upcoming Supanova events in Sydney and Perth. Very exciting, I will probably turn into a squeeing fangirl. *g*

For a full rundown of all the amazing people attending as guests, and all the venue facts, check out this link. Right now I only have firm info for my Sydney schedule, so here you go.

I will be doing a couple of panels: a Star Wars panel at 3.30 on Saturday and a fantasy literature panel on Sunday at 11 am. I’ll also be available in the signing area Friday afternoon and most of the weekend. Probably the best times to catch me there will be from 11 am to 3 pm Saturday and from 1 pm Sunday.

I was intending to do this as one of the writing podcasts but I’m fighting against another return of the Vile Lurgy, so to spare you my coughs and splutters I’ll do it as a regular blog post.

Recently I received a lovely email from reader Alyssa, who asked me what advice I’d give to aspiring writers about the demon of self-doubt and the need for external validation of the work. It’s a great question, and I wanted to answer it in a more public forum because I’m pretty sure Alyssa’s not the only writer who sometimes struggles with these issues.

I’m thrilled to announce that The Falcon Throne, book 1 in The Tarnished Crown series, has been released in paperback in the US and UK. It’s a big book, a big series, and I’m having the time of my life writing it. If you weren’t able to read it in hardcover, I hope you can in this new paperback edition – and that you enjoy it!

(If you’re an Australian fan, I’m afraid there’s a little more waiting to do. July 1st is the local release date!)

Because honestly, the whole ongoing spinal drama has knocked me sideways. Nearly 7 months of constant screaming blowtorch pain, and multiple weekly medical appointments, and handfuls of drugs, and mostly poor sleep, and freaking out over all the work not getting done …

It’s been a challenge. But hooray! I am now released from multiple weekly physio appointments, the drug regimen is winding down, the pain is all but gone, there is still chiro and massage but they are manageable and I have a functioning brain again. Which means I can think straight to write and move well enough to go back to the beginning, again, with the fitness program.

In the meantime, though, as I get myself organised for life as I used to live it, enjoy this great interview with Australian spec fic author Thoraiya Dyer, who’s just made her first novel sale.

It’s now my great pleasure to introduce Lucy Hounsom and her debut fantasy novel, Starborn. This is the first in a new trilogy.

Lucy works for Waterstones Booksellers in London, and has a BA in English & Creative Writing from Royal Holloway. She went on to complete an MA in Creative Writing under Andrew Motion in 2010. She lives in Devon.

Here’s Lucy in her own words …

“Both the characters and the central idea that drives Starborn have been around for a long time. I wrote the first chapter over ten years ago as a naïve seventeen year old and then set the story aside when I went to university. But it bubbled away beneath the surface, never leaving me alone, until I knew that I had to write it even if it never got published. That’s the thing about stories – they beg to be told, to be shared and this one is a culmination of everything I’ve ever loved about fantasy. Books by authors like Tolkien, Robin Hobb, Patricia McKillip Ursula Le Guin and countless others made being an awkward teenager bearable, and at the same time convinced me that I wanted to write too. The idea that people could enjoy my stories in the same way is part of why I write. To create a world so immersive that it’s able to sweep you away for a time – that’s my goal. And fantasy is a wonderful cloth to weave; its threads are rich and steeped in history. It’s able to express archetypes in a way quite unlike any other literary genre. To me, writing and fantasy are seamlessly interwoven and in all honesty I’m not sure I could write anything else. So what do I love about this genre? The worldbuilding for starters – I love exploring worlds so like and unlike our own. In those worlds, the impossible becomes the possible, lands are populated with strange peoples and creatures, and there’s an overriding sense of the epic – the struggle that so defines our race. I love the characters we meet in fantasy, the heroes, the antiheroes, the villains, the rogues, the innocents. When we read a story, we automatically become the protagonist; we suffer through their trials, we’re with them when they fall in love, we look out of their eyes at the unfolding of events. When it comes to character, traditionally fantasy has drawn rather distinct lines between ‘good’ and ‘evil’; the hero is often Campbellian, the villain his recognisable opposite. While movements like grimdark have turned that tradition on its head, I set out with a different aim, which was to tell a story that explored heroism as a concept instead of a given trait. I started with the phrase, ‘one man’s heroism is another man’s tyranny’ and thought about the subjectivity that statement embodies. It suggests heroism is defined by context and individual perspective, instead of objective characteristics. The crux of Starborn – as Kyndra, my protagonist, comes to discover – hinges on the actions of one man, whose crowning achievement makes him a saviour in some eyes and a monster in others. It’s up to the reader to decide which he is, or even whether it matters to the histories. This discussion provides the background context for Kyndra herself. I wanted to move away from the established rendering of the Garion[1]-type hero as a hard-working, honest sort, instead drawing Kyndra as she would more likely be, living in a small community: sheltered, idealistic, stubborn. We are shaped by our childhood and our childhood environment and our earliest experiences colour everything we do. Kyndra has an unbelievably long journey ahead of her, which changes her more than she could ever imagine, so I wanted her to retain the roots of her thinking, to see the world – rightly or wrongly – through the eyes of someone who has grown up in an isolated community at peace. The very concept of war is alien to her, as are the attitudes that foster it, and she struggles to understand the divisions responsible for fragmenting a society. When you want to explore a particular subject, I think it’s important to have a recognisable base as reference, so there’s a lot you’ll find familiar about Starborn. It’s a rite of passage novel where the protagonist is living an ordinary life in a small corner of the world, but is inevitably swept up in wider events. Kyndra learns what it means to take control of those events instead of letting them steer her course and she comes face to face with the idea of destiny and what it might require of her. Of course Starborn is also full of magic, mysterious citadels, buried truths and unresolved conflicts – all the elements that make epic fantasy such fun to read and write. I love this genre for its possibilities, its powerful nostalgia for bygone eras. I love its various characters and settings, from dragons to sorcerers to epic battles. Fantasy allows us to ask poignant questions about society while sweeping us off on an epic journey with people in whom we can see ourselves. I’ve just finished the first draft of Book Two, where Kyndra and her companions encounter a host of new challenges. I always envisioned the series as a trilogy, so that the characters I’ve come to love have room to grow and time in which to tell their stories, and I can’t wait to share them with you.” [1] The hero of The (excellent ) Belgariad by David Eddings

Starborn is available now in-store and online. If you enjoy fantasy adventure with a strong female central character, some mystery and some romance, give it a read!

Well, the paperback edition of The Falcon Throne, book 1 in The Tarnished Crown series, is due to hit bookshelves in the real world and in cyberspace very soon. So I’d like to celebrate by offering 3 copies as giveaway prizes. All you need to do is send me an email via the Contact button on this website, and you’ll go into the draw. Good luck!

EDIT TO ADD: THE COMP IS NOW CLOSED, I’M SORRY. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO WANTED TO WIN A COPY.

The US government is launching a new program called Books for All. Its purpose is to make free ebooks and ebook readers available to kids from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. It’s a great idea and I hope it really takes off.

My parent publisher, Hachette, has included The Innocent Mage in the first round of books being made available. This makes me so pleased, I can’t tell you! If you’re on Twitter (I’m not, I have enough trouble keeping up with a blog!) it would be great if you could pass along the news.

Went to bed Sunday night feeling fine. Woke up Monday morning feeling not so fine, with a swift and depressing slide into Oh shit, are you kidding me? Yes, my 7th cervical disc had herniated again. This time with a side order of something hinky happening in the cervical/thoracic junction. Yay! So this week has not been spent writing, it has been spent in pretty much non-stop pain from a non-functioning left arm, with physio, chiro and massage therapy, plus many many many drugs. But I can report that today, things are much improved. I even cautiously hope I can get back to proper work tomorrow.

I’m pissed, Roger. Now I’m really pissed.

On the other hand, I am thrilled because I’ve been invited to join the author stream at Supanova in Sydney and Perth. Stay tuned for more details on that!

Now I must get a hot water bottle onto my lumbar spine (because that’s going out on strike in sympathy) and take more drugs!

Witness is one of my favourite films. For me, it’s a perfect little gem. It also showcases just how great an actor Harrison Ford is. He was nominated for an Oscar for his role as John Book. So deserved. After that he delivered an even more extraordinary performance in Mosquito Coast. And then, I don’t know what happened. Maybe he decided he’d rather star in the big bucks blockbusters than the performance perfect films that didn’t reach such a wide audience. But if you’ve not seen either of those films, I think you must. He really is terrific.

Probably the most iconic (or second most iconic!) scene in Witness is the barn building sequence. When you watch it (again) pay special attention to Ford. He is a professional carpenter as well as an actor, and you can tell from the way he handles the hammer and stuff. You can’t fake genuine expertise.

The music for Witness was composed by Maurice Jarre, and he used a synthesiser to create the sharply modern soundscape as a contrast to the out of time Amish community. The barn raising sequence music is pretty famous, and with good reason. Following the template of Pachelbel’s Canon, it builds and builds to its crescendo. Wonderful.

What I didn’t realise for a long time, until I stumbled across a movie soundtrack cd of Ford’s movies, is there is an orchestral arrangement of the barn building theme. It is one of my absolute favourite pieces of music, soundtrack or otherwise. So achingly beautiful. Only John William’s music touches me as profoundly.

So, it seems The Falcon Throne has been nominated for a David Gemmell award. This award was started in honour of the late and truly wonderful David Gemmell, beloved creator of Druss the Legend. He was possibly the most humble, the most gracious, the most hilarious man I’ve ever met. I had the unforgettable pleasure of hosting him for a convention, back when I had my bookshop, and I’ve never forgotten him. I was dying of bronchitis that weekend, and it didn’t matter. He made me laugh so hard in his speech I nearly died anyway! And watching him with the fans, he was a master class in how to be wonderful.

Anyhow, I have no idea how I got onto the nominees’ list, but I’m beyond chuffed and pretty excited to see such a wonderful parade of great fantasy fiction. It speaks so well of the depth and breadth and health of our great genre. Whether you vote or not, that’s not my business. But I’d urge you to check out the list and grab a few books that you haven’t read …

Okay, so in some news that has me turning cartwheels … Pixar’s working on a sequel to The Incredibles! Yeeeee hawwwww! I love that film so much. I love most of Pixar’s work (though my heart really does belong to A Bug’s Life.)

It’s my utter delight and pleasure to share the news that my friend and fellow fantasy author Glenda Larke has won both the Ditmar and the Tin Duck awards at this year’s national science fiction convention, held in Perth over the Easter weekend. Congrats also to Donna Hanson, whose efforts on behalf of our genre in Australia are tireless; she was awarded the Bertram Chandler award. And finally, a big woot to Trudi Canavan, who was the Ditmar co-winner with Glenda.

For those who aren’t familiar with them, the Hugos are awards for fiction, non-fiction and visual storytelling in the spec fic genre, voted on by members and supporting members of each year’s World Science Fiction convention. Those same members and supporting members are responsible for nominating their favourite work of the year, and it’s from those nominations that the various short-lists are compiled. Because of the supporting membership option, it means the Hugos can be truly representative of what works fandom at large – world-wide – wishes to honour: while comparatively few fans can make the trip to the actual convention, every single fan of science fiction and fantasy can be involved in the Hugo voting process.

Participation in the process is entirely voluntary. All you need to do is pay the supporting member fee and your voice will be heard, your personal preferences taken into account. This means that the Hugos are, potentially, the most egalitarian award on offer in the genre. Bottom line? There is no one ‘right’ way to be a fan, no one ‘right’ kind of book or film or tv show to vote for. This is about individual fans voting for the work that speaks to them most profoundly.

The last couple of years there has been a lot of nastiness swirling around the Hugos. It’s nasty this year too. I find that very disappointing. I am deeply offended by the notion that it’s not the work that matters, but the politics of the author who wrote it. Or their race, or skin colour, or sexuality, or gender. For my money, none of those criteria is relevant to the awards process. Do I want a wide variety of people represented on the nominee ballots? Speaking as a woman, you’d better believe it. But do I want good work ignored – or worse, actively discriminated against – because of various – and sometimes competing – political and social agendas? Absolutely I do not. And I really don’t want to see great writers punished because some people in fandom don’t like the people who support their work. That’s not inclusivity. That’s bullying. That’s a disgrace. As fans we should be better than that.

If you love science fiction and fantasy and you’d like to see the kind of stories you love receive the recognition of a major award like a Hugo, then do get involved in the nominating and voting process. Complaining that you don’t like anything that wins year to year, without getting involved, is pretty silly … and pointless. As someone once said, be the change you want to see in the world!

And in the meantime … my huge congratulations to this year’s nominees. I wish each and every one of you the very best of luck.

Terry Pratchett was a genius. I’m just glad as all get-out that we didn’t wait until today, the day of his death, to figure that out or let him know posthumously. I’m glad that we, the reading public, got to tell him every day for the last few decades. And I hope that of all the things bloody Alzheimers took from him, it never took that. Because he deserved every accolade heaped upon him — especially the ones he wasn’t awarded because he was ‘too popular’ or ‘too commercial’ or too ‘whatever’ for the folk who take it upon themselves to hand out the little gold statues.

I’ve been asked by Booktopia to do a guest post about Terry Pratchett and his work, so I won’t pre-empt myself on that. What I will say is that I was incredibly, unbelievably privileged to experience Terry’s brilliance in a way few others ever enjoyed. That’s partly what I’ll be talking about in the guest post, which I’ll link to in due course. It was pure serendipity that I had that experience and it’s one I’ll treasure forever.

There is nowhere else in fiction remotely like the Discworld. It is a creation of extraordinary intellect and philosophy and humanity. Just as there was only one William Shakespeare, there will only ever be one Terry Pratchett. Now please, please, please, can somebody re-release all his work in hardcover editions with the original Josh Kirby covers? A few of mine are falling apart.

Because these days it seems so hard to have any kind of thoughtful debate without the internet piling on and bullying and outright falsifying a person’s position to demonise them for whatever reason, I tend not to do the political stuff. I don’t often do the feminist stuff either because as far as I can see the whole notion of feminism has largely been hijacked by a bunch of women I could never in good conscience ally myself with. (Talk about painting a target on my forehead!) But it’s the truth, so there you go.

However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have strong opinions about the treatment of women around the world, including at home. And while, God knows, we women of the West are laughingly well off compared to the atrocities visited upon women in countries like India and Pakistan and so much of the Middle East — still, we have issues. And if we’re not careful, if we don’t ferociously safeguard our rights and our freedoms and our safety, then we will wake up one day as screwed as the women of Afghanistan who went to bed with jobs and woke up with the Taliban. The biggest mistake anyone ever makes is in saying ‘Yes, isn’t that awful, what’s happening over there, but of course it could never happen here.’ Because it could. And inevitably it will, if we don’t kill the anti-woman creep in its tracks. Hell, it already is happening here. There was a time when the idea of honour killings and forced child marriage and female genital mutilation in Australia were beyond unthinkable. And now we have all three.

ER is one of my favourite dramas. I own it all on dvd and rewatch it every other year, or so. True confession — I skip a lot of the back end because by the last couple of seasons I think it was terribly tired and frankly, there were some characters I really couldn’t warm to. But I always watch the ones where Carter is back, because I love that character.

However. There is one episode I won’t rewatch, and that’s Love’s Labor Lost from the first season. Not because it’s terrible. No. Because it’s so good and so harrowing I can’t bear it. I think everyone should watch it once, because it’s some of the best storytelling on tv ever, but I can’t do it twice. Call me pathetic and I won’t argue!

So, for those of you who are ER fans and do remember this episode (and honestly, I can’t imagine anyone ever forgetting it, once seen) here is a fabulous look back on it with much interesting input from the team in front of and behind the camera.

I think this is what those of us who tell stories really hope: that out stories get remembered. Kudos to all the amazing folk who brought us ER.

Literally. I am making some progress with the stupid herniated neck discs. Off to the GP today to revisit the drug regimen, which I don’t really like. If I take the drugs, they knock me out. If I don’t take the drugs I’m in pain all the time. I think this is what they mean by a lose, lose scenario. Lots of exercises to do, plus lots of massage which actually helps. Let me sing the praises of expert deep tissue massage. Or maybe that should be scream the praises …

Work is still off the table – but I’m refusing to let myself melt into a shrieking mess over that. Serenity prayer, Serenity prayer. I can do dvd research because I can watch the tv without compromising my stupid neck. Reading is an issue. Lengthy typing sessions are an issue. I can still exercise, which is crazy, but at least I’m not getting fatter – which is what happened when I ruptured/herniated the lumbar discs.

So there you have it. If you’ve dropped me a line and you’re still waiting for a reply, my apologies for the delay. I shall provide one ASAP, I promise!

The world would not be what it is today without Star Trek. The sometimes confronting, sometimes deeply moving, sometimes tragically cheesy ’60s SF show – that wouldn’t have happened without Lucille Ball – transformed so many lives in so many different ways. And probably it wouldn’t have had that amazing impact without the extraordinary character of Mr Spock – and the man who played him, Leonard Nimoy.

83 is a venerable age. And in his 83 years, Nimoy had an impact upon the world at large, upon the hearts and minds and imaginations of countless thousands of people. He was a unique individual whose contributions will live long after those of us who remember him living are gone.

And somewhere in the universe, Spock and Bones McCoy are happily quarrelling again …

I believe that some of the very best speculative fiction can be found on the shelves of the Young Adult section in bookshops and libraries. A case in point is the marvellous work of British author Phillip Reeve, in his Mortal Engines Quartet. If you were to ask me what speculative fiction books we should be shoving into eager readers’ hands, these books would come first. Rumour has it that Peter Jackson is interested in adapting the books for film, but after The Hobbit trilogy, who knows? Handled by the right people I’d certainly love to see this story on the big screen.

Writing is a tough gig. It’s full of doubt, uncertainty and rejection. It takes courage, persistence and a willingness to be humble when you’re told your work needs work. The biggest barrier to success is when a writer clings to the sad belief that they’re some kind of special snowflake being denied their destiny of greatness by [insert convenient excuse here].

Guess what? Nobody is owed a publishing contract. Not for any reason, be it gender or age or ethnicity or eye colour or any external measure. And more often than not, work is rejected because it isn’t good enough, not because there’s some vast conspiracy to keep the author down because of [insert convenient excuse here].

Yes, sometimes other factors come into play. Various kinds of discrimination. But that’s life. Some decisions suck. Some people suck. Things aren’t always fair. Problem is, get too cosy with that worldview and you will absolutely end up standing in your own way – especially since discrimination isn’t as pervasive and monolithic as some people believe.

Anyhow, that’s what I think. And here’s what Sarah Hoyt thinks, a writer who works in both traditional and non-traditional publishing modes. I think she talks a lot of sense.

Bottom line? The job of a writer is to tell the very best story in the very best style of which he or she is capable. That involves much self-criticism and the seeking of honest feedback on the work and the willingness to rewrite and rewrite until you’ve done your job. After that, you send the work out into the world and cross your fingers that someone thinks it’s a good fit for their publishing house. Or you publish it yourself, and hope the reading public thinks it’s a good fit for their enjoyment.

Beyond that? Nothing. Readers don’t owe writers a damn thing. And getting angry because readers don’t like the ‘right kind of books’ i.e. ‘the books I am writing’, and scolding them, and sneering at the books and writers that they do enjoy? That’s juvenile and counterproductive. It’s arrogant and elitist and frankly pathetic. Writers write. We don’t get to decide what readers want to read. But if we’re lucky, we find ourselves standing on that patch of ground where what we’re writing is what they want to read.

As you’ve guessed by now, I love me some nifty crime drama on tv. So this post I’m going to talk about one that might not be so well known but is, in my book, worth watching. It’s a Canadian production and it’s called Motive.

Are you feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? Then why not take a moment to bask in the beauty of Milos playing classical guitar? He’s an amazing talent and classical guitar is simply beautiful. In fact, I’m listening to him right now!

So, to celebrate the launch of Banshee‘s third season (in the US. With luck it will come to Foxtel. Otherwise I’ll have to wait for the dvd release. Sigh.) this blog post is about the show so far … just in case you’ve missed it, or passed on it. Hopefully after my burblings you’ll give it a go, because even though on the surface it might look like mindless high-violence tits-and-arse action, in fact the show is an interesting meditation on a whole lot of things.

But to be fair there is also sex and violence. Interest piqued? Then do read on …

Sometimes I think the universe hates me. Just as I was crawling out from under a whole pile of crap and back to writing, I managed to herniate 2 discs in my neck. In the New Adventures Karen Has Had, that meant an MRI. Wow. Now I know I could probably survive 20 mins of torture. The noise the machine makes is actually really interesting. It started sounding like a kind of urban percussive classical music piece. But the position I had to maintain revved the ole neck up something severe. Sob. Whimper.

I have Serious Drugs. I have a chair I can sit in without screwing the neck or the back. I have an appointment with a specialist, who please God will tell me he can fix me without surgery. If I can get the pain to settle down, I might even have some writing because not doing that is starting to send me mad.

One of the great things about this new Golden Age of television drama is the advent of cable, which means lots and lots and lots of cool niche programming that doesn’t need network-sized audience numbers to succeed – and that’s willing and eager to take chances, be different.

So by now you shouldn’t be surprised to hear I’ll give any fantasy/supernatural film or drama a go. Of late, the only time I showed reticence was with Guardians of the Galaxy. Didn’t see it at the movies, but have just watched it on a borrowed blu-ray. My instinct after the trailer was pretty spot-on with that one: not entirely my thing. Very well done, but I’m not really the target demographic. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it – I think the work on Groot is astonishing, and on the racoon. (I really really want a pet racoon!) But it’s just a bit too rompish for me. I much prefer the darker, grittier style of Marvel storytelling as shown in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Guardians is just a bit too popcorn for my angst-loving heart. But like I say – entirely entertaining.

Which preamble leads me to nattering today about a SyFy channel offering: Dominion.

Here’s the second half of my list of favourite Crime TV shows. Of course there are many more that I watch and enjoy – these are just the ones I love best! As before, I hope that by sharing these favourites some of you will discover new stories to love.